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Topic: Russian Grand Prix 2016 (Read 3013 times)

I'm lucky enough to have a Pass for the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi - in addition to tickets for Grandstand tickets for the whole event.

Tuesday sees the teams setting up their garages and hospitality centres - for Sunday's race - but the practice sessions start on Friday.

I live about 25 km - 15 miles from the circuit and a train drops us off 200m from the entrance to the circuit

Security is VERY tight and I saw THREE warships stationed off the coast on the beautiful train ride home. Putin will be here......

I'll be taking photos of the event and posting them here - if you aren't interested in F1 - then I'm sorry ... I expect I'll have some photos of the staff - sooner or later - they are smart - mostly speaking perfect English and single young men would be in heaven..

So, the rain stopped and I got my last chance to walk on the track / in the pit lane until AFTER the race.

My pass is VERY specific about that ....

Security will be even tighter, tomorrow - a new system for paddock access will come into operation - face recognition checks

The top teams have screens across their garages - to stop prying eyes - McLaren - who had a terrible season in their first in year with Honda - haven't lost the habit and half heatedly covered their garage.

The new American team - Haas - had also covered their garage - so I don't know if the noses I took photos of were 'current'.

I'm still allowed to walk in the Paddock - between the Garages and the teams' hospitality suite... You can see Ferrari are particularly fond of guests ..

If you had a puncture these McLaren guys might be too busy to help

The Red Bull guys sort out which is Daniels # 3 and Daniil #26, tyres ...

The podium is ready for Putin and the top three...

If there's an incident requiring the cars to slow down - here's the safety car - which will - ironically - be going so fast you could never keep up in most road cars ..

Not long to go ..

Only one more 'dolly bird' - A nice young British lady - working for McLaren

I saw one 'celeb' - ex-F1 driver and father of current Torro Rosso driver - Max Verstappen .. he's in the centre

Forecast for Qualifying and GP - 19C and no rain. This is the Paddock - between the garages to the pit lane and the Teams 'Homes' ..Increased security - FIA - the Motorsport admin body - issued me a new additional - pass, yesterday and I was 'too slow' to pass the turn-style and registered ' already in' on the system - when I triedto get in 'again' and caused a minor security alert ..all smiles - a quick phone call and I was 'in' ..

MSMoby - thanks for sharing all the pics. I am very jealous. My timing was impeccable.... just missed the Russian Grand Prix by two weeks....

I would have come to Russia two weeks later and then headed to Sochi if I knew my romantic adventure there was going to end in failure, with me back in Moscow killing time for a week.....

These posts belong in an F1 forum just as gun rights posts belong in a gun rights forum and American political discussions belong in an American politics forum..... It goes on and on and on.

Thanks again, Moby! Let me know tomorrow if there has been any improvement to the sound this year. As usual, I plan to be at the Grand Prix in Montreal in June; the lack of sound the past two years has been a major disappointment.

Personally I feel that F1 belongs on an F1 forum, and should not clutter up a forum such as this..

Disagree. The F1 race is in Sochi and Sochi is in Russia which last time I checked is part of the former Soviet Union. Furthermore if this forum adhered to especially strict subject posting matter it might turn to tumbleweeds and crickets. (more so than it sometimes is)

Personally I feel that F1 belongs on an F1 forum, and should not clutter up a forum such as this..

Disagree. The F1 race is in Sochi and Sochi is in Russia which last time I checked is part of the former Soviet Union. Furthermore if this forum adhered to especially strict subject posting matter it might turn to tumbleweeds and crickets. (more so than it sometimes is)

Your opinion of course....

It also rains and snows a lot in Russia, maybe we should begin posting photo's of such events..

Logged

Bridge is a lot like sex, either you need a good partner, or a decent hand... Woody Allen

Personally I feel that F1 belongs on an F1 forum, and should not clutter up a forum such as this..

Disagree. The F1 race is in Sochi and Sochi is in Russia which last time I checked is part of the former Soviet Union. Furthermore if this forum adhered to especially strict subject posting matter it might turn to tumbleweeds and crickets. (more so than it sometimes is)

Your opinion of course....

It also rains and snows a lot in Russia, maybe we should begin posting photo's of such events..

If it was snowing at the Olympics maybe we should. Oh, that's right we already did. Seems to me that the Olympics in Russia and a Formula 1 race are major events, however to each his own.